Baseball Roundup

Atlanta hammers O's in Turner Field debut

Posted: Saturday, April 03, 1999

By Associated Press

ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones, who leads the majors this spring in hitting, and Javy Lopez each hit two-run homers Friday night to help the Atlanta Braves to a 9-1 exhibition victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

A crowd of 32,454 was on hand at Turner Field for the Braves first home game of the season.

Jones, who has hit in 13 of his last 14 games, is batting .500 (26-for-52) with four home runs and 12 RBIs. He connected for his homer in the third inning off Baltimore starter Scott Erickson, scoring Otis Nixon who had tripled.

Atlanta starter John Smoltz had a strong outing. The right-hander went four innings, giving up four hits, one run, one walk and struck out eight.

Royals deal Conine

ATLANTA -- The Baltimore Orioles, looking to add right-handed power, got Jeff Conine from the Kansas City Royals in a trade Friday for minor league pitcher Chris Fussell.

Conine, a two-time All-Star and MVP of the 1995 game while with Florida, hit .256 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs last season for Kansas City.

The first baseman-outfielder batted .321 with one homer and seven RBIs this spring.

Conine, 32, has hit .310 against left-handed pitchers in the last five years.

''Jeff fills the final pressing need of our team,'' Orioles general manager Frank Wren said. ''He is a right-handed hitter with some versatility and he can bat in the middle of our lineup when necessary.''

The Orioles made the deal before their exhibition game at Atlanta.

Irabu OK, for now

TAMPA, Fla. -- Hideki Irabu has lost his place in the New York Yankees' rotation, for now. He has not lost the support of owner George Steinbrenner, at least not yet.

A day after Steinbrenner called the Japanese pitcher a ''fat ... toad,'' the Yankees said Friday that Ramiro Mendoza will start in place of Irabu next Wednesday at Oakland.

Asked how long Mendoza would pitch in Irabu's spot, interim manager Don Zimmer declined to say. Irabu stayed at the team's camp in Tampa, Fla., while the Yankees traveled to the West Coast for weekend exhibition games.

Pirates' Meares out

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Pat Meares, who had hits in 16 of his final 17 exhibition games, will be out five to seven days with a sprained left wrist and will miss opening day Monday against Montreal.

Meares was injured fouling off a pitch in the fifth inning Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies. He started to take the field in the bottom of the inning, but manager Gene Lamont pulled him back and Meares returned to the Pirates' camp at Bradenton for X-rays.